Hope and pray its true! Was brought up on wanting to beat the Aussies for the Ashes

Superb news if true, thought it was strange there was no scheduled tournament pencilled in for 2015.

www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/ ... on-as-2015

www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/ ... on-as-2015

This is all smoke and mirrors. It is highly unlikely that a single non-England player will be in any Great Britain side.

Not even Scotland's Danny Brough?

[iScotland's[/i Danny Brough?





Hang on....maybe that's why Scotland's Steve [iMcNamara[/i didn't pick Danny Boy for the the England squad.

While that is probably true at present (though some of the Welsh lads playing in SL might appear in the squad by then) the reintroduction of GB would mean that players who had represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland via grandparents rule and then jumped ship to England to play the Aussies and NZ wouldn't need to do that anymore. They could qualify to play for GB by playing for their adopted nation and so would have less incentive to switch to England. They could stick with their adopted country and still get a chance to play against the big teams under the GB banner.

To use an example James Roby and Rob Burrow have only played for England/GB (when it existed). Both are hookers and squad regulars. Michael McIlorum played for Ireland, Daryl Clark played for Scotland. Ireland and Scotand never play the Antipodean nations except in World Cups. England play them most years. McIlorum and Clark will now not play for Ireland or Scotland and will instead compete with Roby and Burrow for an England place so they can play the top nations. Two of those four won't get a game for England, Clark is probably number 4 in the pecking order so he won't play in the World Cup as he would rather miss out now in hope of getting a Four Nations game next year or in 2016. So without GB to qualify for Clark doesn't play in a World Cup (his choice, I know) as England are his only option for top level RL. Scotland (and Ireland) are weaker as the likes of Clark, Brough etc would rather miss out now for England in the hope of playing v Aus next year.

If by playing for Scotland (or Ireland or Wales) a player can stake their place for an Ashes series squad without having to get past the likes of Roby, Sam Tomkins or Ryan Hall to do it then they will stick with and strengthen the other home nations teams. Maybe then Scotland and Ireland, like Wales did, can earn themselves a spot in the Four Nations when it is up here, then as well as making a claim for a GB place the likes of Clark could get a game against the very best for their adopted nation too without having to displace the England regulars in order to play in that game.

Could this finally be the return of Great Britain! Please please please please!

The international pinnacle of the game to return? Let's hope so.

It was barmy to get rid of it in the first place. Would Union get rid of Lions Tours? Not on your nelly.

If they announce an Ashes Series to be held down under in 2015 I will be cracking open the piggy bank!

if it goes ahead it will be in the southern hemisphere.

It's exactly what is needed and shouldn't have been got rid of in the first place. It should have run alongside the Tri/4 Nations comps

I know im in the minority but Ashes tour once every 4/5 years and the rest of time keep the home nations. So pretty much what RU do. Keep GB as something special

Agreed. I'd like to see a 4 year schedule of:
2013 - World Cup
2014 - 4 Nations (as England in NH)
2015 - Ashes (as GB obviously)
2016 - 4 Nations (as England in SH)
2017 - World Cup

Plus I'd like a mid-season 5 Nations of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland & France based on the RU 6 Nations format. I know it's more games for the top players but if the Exiles games are done away with that saves 2. So a mid-season 5 Nations would only actually add 2 games to the schedule. I also understand the gap between England and the rest but that should narrow a bit with the return of GB and the only way it'll narrow further is for the teams to play each other.

Id agree with that bar swapping the ashes for a full tour. Once every 8 years NH nations tour the SH, once every 8 years SH nations tour the NH with the ashes series built into that.

Ashes series would be brilliant! Really hope this comes off!

To win it you have to beat Australia twice which is what is great about it. The WC and 4N only requires you to beat Australia once which isn't as great an achievement IMO. See NZ who have won a couple of 4N's and the WC but didn't beat the Aussies twice in any of them tournaments.

I'd say the World Cup is the international pinnacle, and if it isn't it bloody should be!

More games against the Aussies, well can't complain with that!
Return if GB? Not particularly bothered if it was England to be honour. They'll be the exact same team on paper.

I think people ignore the fact that it isn't just about playing against the Aussies that's the carrot. It's having a significantly higher chance of playing in a competitive team with a chance if winning.

Not only that, but these players are actually ENGLISH! If they're good enough and the door is open, why wouldn't they want to play for their home nation?

I must apologise to NZ, they did beat the Aussies twice in the 05 Tri Nations

This fat idiot is going to ruin the international game.

They are English but the best chance of the other home nations having a team that have at least a chance of competing (not winning necessarily but getting within 30 points for example as opposed to 70 point hammerings) today, not in 30 years time (maybe) if given a development officer, is to use heritage players who qualify to play for them. They then keep going with heritage players from SL and NRL if they can get them so that they have a team that young kids can see [inow[/i that can put in a good effort against England and France at least. That team though they may come from Dewsbury, Pontefract, St Helens and Brisbane will give those Welsh, Scottish and Irish kids a team that they can look up to and can encourage them to want to play the game themselves. When those kids have grown up then they may get a team that were born in the actual country they represent but for now they need a team of any eligible players but one that can at least compete with FT players pulling on England and France jerseys.

If more of the likes of Brough, Clark, McIlorum etc stuck with the nations they played for in the last WC rather than switching then those teams might well have a chance of becoming competitive.

Also most of the players concerned are not good enough to make the England team so are going from a team where they are getting picked and a star name to kicking their heels behind two or three others and not playing at all.

Fantastic news!

It was always the high point of the season.

Seriously , does anyone feel even remotely exited about the four nations comp?

GB & France would be better than just GB

With the emergence of players like Gil Dudson and Ben Flower in the Wigan side and with Rhys Pugsley and Rhodri Lloyd also in the squad then by 2015 who knows.